I'm a Pfaff girl!! I have had a Pfaff for over 25 years and love the brand. The machine you are looking at is a wonderful machine. I love mine for the large throat and the beautiful embroidery it does. You won't go wrong with Pfaff.

Hi there. So sorry for the rude person - not the best way to do business. I have done machine embroidery for 15+ years and definitely have a favorite machine - it's Brother all the way. The Viking machines were great when they were made in Sweden (and I had the SE) but not so good now being made in China. Several friends own Vikings and they are in the shop more times than not. One friend has the SE, Diamond, and now the Epic. The Epic in the shop a lot. I have had the Brother Dreamweaver (bought used at dealer as trade in) and now have the DreamMachine2 and am astounded at what it can do. Bought a show model (open box) at half off the price and traded in my Dreamweaver. Again, very important to have a dealer near you for any questions you might have - and those free lessons! Good luck.

I love my Viking, I have the Diamond Deluxe, and its great for Embroidery and quilting. The latest model is the Epic.
I have to drive 3 hours for my closest dealer now but it is so worth it.

As someone said previously......Janome is Not an “off brand” ...I own 5 Janomes. If you have enjoyed your Janome so far, look at the other models of Janomes to determine if they have the features you want. There is no “best brand”...the brand and model that you are comfortable using is the best one for you. The Janome website makes it easy to compare models, features and MSRP pricing side by side. Ask for the best price you can negotiate. No one pays MSRP. Ever. The markup on the more expensive models have room to negotiate. Thinking $3,000 msrp and up.

I find it very helpful to do my research on the websites ...print out the model and features...etc and make a file to take shopping with you. Join Facebook groups that are brand specific. Ask questions, read reviews....have fun!

Hi everyone!
Thank you for all the awesome responses, it gave me a lot to think about! I actually had a buyer for my Janome earlier this week. I took a hit price-wise, but we had some unexpected expenses so I needed to just go through with the sale.

That said, I'm now trying to plan for which machine to get. The info and insights you've all given me is great. But I was hoping to get one more piece of thoughts/advice. Used versus new. As several of you have pointed out, service is an important factor and these machines are something that eventually will need to be serviced. If I'm understanding correctly, any of the major brands (Viking, Pfaff, etc.) if you buy a used machine, you don't qualify for service, correct? If you need it worked on, you have to pay for it.

I'm not averse to paying out of pocket for service, no different than my car in the shop now and out of warranty. But I'm hoping to see what you all think about used machines. I see a lot on eBay and many are sales by people who aren't dealers. So they don't know the machine history, etc. So, they seem to be trying to get top-dollar without really understanding that the model of machine isn't the only thing that dictates the price. Many of these machines are specifically no refund. So, obviously, I don't want to spend money on something that may end up being an expensive paperweight.

The only other option is rather than get a used "fancier" machine (i.e. Diamond Deluxe or a Pfaff) is to just buy a brand new Topaz 40 or 50 (although the 40 is more in my price range). Either of these is attainable in a few weeks for me. Anything more than that, and I'm looking at way down the road.

So, would love to get your input on used versus new. Thanks again!!

Many shops will offer service contracts on used machines they sale. Some will have offers for other machines too, but a lot of that depends on if they do the work themselves or not.

I'd be looking a bit more local than ebay, I'd try Craig's List if you have an active one near you (I know Grand Rapids has one).

From my friends with embroidery machines, I'd say get the largest hoop you can afford. Talk to the people on why they are changing machines/getting rid of what they have. Not all used machines are equal!

Edit: I brought up the Grand Rapids Craigs List and while not much right in town, there is what I think a pretty good deal on a Brother in Kalamazoo!

Just a thought....Don't the new models come out in Oct? Maybe by waiting, you could get a floor model at a reduced price. Then you could have more for less and still get a warranty and have a better relationship with the dealer.

That's good to know about the service contracts! Thanks!

I've been perusing Craig's List, and I think I know the one you are talking about (Brother) but for that listing, you have to buy everything (the table/desk, machine, thread, laptop) the person won't separate out. It's still a good price, but I don't need all that stuff hehe I did see a Dream Machine for a good price. I sent an email but haven't heard back.

With places like Joann's, they have already reduced the prices to move them before the new machines come out. I don't know if they will lower them anymore. The few local dealers I've dealt with (that aren't through Joann's) are sticking firm to most of their discounted prices. One told me specifically that he has no reason to sell at too low a cost. He's better off taking a loss for the full value then sell for pennies. I understand their logic. I guess I'm the issue since I want a lot of features for less money hehe I suppose that's why I go back to thinking that maybe getting a new Topaz 40 or 50 might be the smart thing. Then at least I will have a brand new/under warranty machine and can trade up when finances are better.

For me, the frustrating thing is that there are limited financing options. Most stores that carry the better brands (including Joann's) have financing through Synchrony and that's it (credit card). Unfortunately, Synchrony is one of those retail cards that if they don't like you, it's hard to get a generous credit line. My husband was approved but for a low amount. It's funny because if you want to buy a big screen television or home theater system or even furniture, there are dozens of finance options. With brands like Brother, Viking and Pfaff you pretty much have one choice :(

I had to follow up to share something interesting regarding CL. I was browsing the various listings last night to see what was out there. Being that my husband doesn't mind driving, I pretty much scoured all the state listings and even into Ohio. In Flint, there was a listing that caught my attention. It was for a Dream Machine. The price was "too good to be true" but I figured you never know. I've had to sell things at insane prices because I needed the cash. So I hit reply and inquired whether the machine was still available.

I got a response a short time later that yes, the machine was available. The person said they were being deployed and so they wanted to sell it before leaving. For some reason, that made me suspicious, but again I figured I wouldn't jump to conclusions. So I asked when I might come to see it. The response was that she was in Montana. So if I was interested, she would set up a deal via ebay...and that's when I knew it was an attempted scam.

I responded that "well, if you are in Montana, why are you posting in a Michigan Craig's List site and why aren't you just using ebay directly?" The person only said they were trying to get "more exposure" and didn't want to pay ebay fees. I did a little research and discovered this scam is common in regards to higher ticket items (cars, etc.) because the asking price is too good to be true and people fall for it. I basically responded to the person that they should be ashamed to falsely claim to be military and to try to scam people. Then I promptly reported them to CL and blocked the account.

I'll confess, though, I got very excited at the thought of getting a deal. But, I'm old enough to know that in some cases if it's way too good to be true, then it probably is.

I do, though, think I am going to go with a machine I saw on ebay. The seller is local (20 minutes from me), and will allow me to pick it up. She has a Viking Topaz 20 that was only used twice, as well as an unopened boxed version of Premier+2 embroidery software. The asking price is very good. It will get me back into a machine without breaking the budget (our car is being repaired so all the money is going towards that!) and meanwhile, I can start saving for a better machine down the road :)